The present invention relates to a contract system for a cellular phone. More particularly, the present invention relates to a contract system for a cellular phone in a cellular phone communication system according to which multiple phone numbers can be registered in a single cellular phone, and to a cellular phone communication method based on said communication system.
Currently available services that enable multiple phone numbers to be used with a single cellular (portable) phone do not allow selection of a phone number upon making a call. Accordingly, not only the caller phone number displayed on a telephone of a receiver is always a fixed number but the multiple phone numbers cannot be used completely separately according to different receivers (for example, a user of the cellular phone may want to use phone number x for calling a bank while using phone number y for calling friends). Moreover, since the multiple phone numbers are managed collectively as a single contract set, the rate for phone calls cannot be charged separately for each phone number. Thus, in order to separate the use of phone numbers, multiple cellular phones are needed.
In order to solve this problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Application No. 2001-258074 describes a cellular phone which is capable of calling and receiving with multiple phone numbers in a radio communication system where the frequencies, the communication systems and the modulation systems are consistent. Hereinafter, this cellular phone is referred to as Cited Technique 1.
This cellular phone is provided with a control section including a baseband signal processor, a main controller, a mike, a speaker and a display manipulation unit, as well as single or multiple radio units (with identical frequencies, communication systems and modulation systems) each essentially consisting of an antenna, an antenna switch, a transmitter, a receiver and a frequency synthesizer.
Where multiple radio units are provided, one of the radio units is connected to the baseband signal processor of the control section by a radio unit switch. Where a single radio unit is provided, outgoing calls from the multiple phone numbers are switched by programmed control.
Thus, the user can separately use the phone numbers according to uses (for example, for business and private uses) and the rates can be charged separately according to the uses.
Although the description of Cited Technique 1 suggests a potential for xe2x80x9cseparate payments according to usesxe2x80x9d, there is no description as to how to correlate the payments of rates to uses.
Regarding rate charging, Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-188510 describes a business model where outgoing calls to a particular phone is charged to a payer who is different from the person who signed the contract for the cellular phone. Hereinafter, this technique is referred to as Cited Technique 2.
The charging system according to Cited Technique 2 distinguishes first and second payers to whom the rates will be charged according to the receivers of the outgoing calls. Here, the person who signed the contract for the cellular phone is the first payer. Outgoing calls made to a particular receiver (which is registered beforehand by manipulation from the cellular phone) are charged to the second payer. The cellular phone connects to a rate information administration center via a base station and an intermediary station to register the phone number of the second payer who consented to the payment upon signing the contract as a receiver phone number to which the rate is charged. The rate information administration center stores the phone numbers input upon registration in rate information areas distinguished by receivers of the outgoing calls.
Thus, rates are automatically charged to the specified payers depending on the receivers of the outgoing calls.
Recently, due to marked development in the performance of information processor and size reduction of storage medium, cellular phones are installed with various functions to be used for multiple purposes. As a result, there are growing demands for a cellular phone which has a function that allows multiple phone numbers to be set to a single cellular phone as well as functions that allow different purposes to be assigned to the phone numbers and payers of the rates to be registered according to purposes, thereby conveniently making use of a single cellular phone according to different purposes.
Cited Technique 1 is developed for the former demand while Cited Technique 2 is developed for the latter demand. With these techniques, a cellular phone communication system can be established which realizes a cellular phone that can be used for different purposes and/or that automatically charges rates to the payers designated by the user of the cellular phone, without the need of purchasing or carrying multiple cellular phones.
As described above, similar to other electronic apparatuses, cellular phones are installed with various functions to provide various services. Existing services include, for example, e-mail service and Web browsing service.
At present, when a user of a cellular phone wants to receive these services, the user has to sign a contract including the payment method and the payer to be charged independently for each service. Accordingly, not only the contracts for the cellular phone but also the processes of the charging system for the switching network provider are complicated.
Thus, the present invention has an objective of providing a business model of a contract system for a cellular phone which can conveniently enjoy, as the user wishes, not only the existing e-mail and Web browsing services but other services that may be available in the future.
In order to achieve the above-described objective, a contract system for a cellular phone according to the present invention is based on the premise that it is a contract system for a cellular phone in a cellular phone communication system which allows multiple phone numbers to be registered in a single cellular phone.
Based on this premise, in the contract system of the invention: multiple contract sets, which are selectable by the user of the cellular phone and which each include a phone number, an available service, a payment method and a payer as contract clauses, are registered in the single cellular phone as contracts for the respective multiple phone numbers; and the cellular phone communication system manages communications for every contract sets according to the contract clauses defined in the respective contract sets and charges rates separately for the respective contract sets.
The cellular phone is always set to a contract set selected among the multiple contract sets, and for transmission, communication takes place according to the contract clauses defined in the currently selected contract set.
In the contract system of the invention: multiple contract sets having items corresponding to the contract clauses of the contract sets registered in the cellular phone are registered in a charging system of a switching network; when the switching network receives communication from the cellular phone, the switching network manages communication designated in the contract set relative to this communication; and the charging system calculates rates for the respective contract sets and charges the rates according to the payment methods and payers defined in the respective contract sets.
The cellular phone receives an incoming call corresponding to any of the contract sets registered in the cellular phone regardless of the currently selected contract set.
The available service comprise an e-mail service and a Web browsing service.
In the contract system of the invention, a melody call signal, an answerphone mode and an incoming call/an e-mail refusal mode may be selected for each of the contract sets registered in the cellular phone.
In addition, multiple contract sets made with different cellular phone communication system providers can be registered.
A communication method for a cellular phone of the invention is a communication method for a cellular phone in a cellular phone communication system which allows multiple phone numbers to be registered in a single cellular phone.
The communication method for a cellular phone according to the present invention comprises the steps of: registering multiple contract sets, which are selectable by the user and which each include a phone number, an available service, a payment method and a payer as contract clauses, in the single cellular phone as contracts for the respective multiple phone numbers; and registering multiple contract sets having items corresponding to the contract clauses of the contract sets in a charging system of a switching network, where the cellular phone transmits a message according to the clauses defined in the contract set selected by the user of the cellular phone, and upon receiving the message from the cellular phone, the switching network manages communication designated in the contract set relative to the communication, and the charging system calculates rates for the respective contract sets and charging the rates separately for the respective contracts sets according to the payment methods and the payers defined in the contract sets.
The cellular phone receives an incoming call corresponding to any of the contract sets registered in the cellular phone regardless of the currently selected contract set.
The user of the cellular phone may set contract sets for different purposes of the cellular phone.